Lights Up

The Bottom Line

Hello hello hello beautiful people. Author here. The next four chapters are continuations of the same event. There will be some racism and homophobia. I don't use swear words or inappropriate/derogatory language in my writing, but I tried to portray it as accurately as possible. I believe that no one should be treated that way, and I am fortunate that I have never had to deal with that. If I am inaccurately representing a characters experience with this, please comment and tell me, because I am trying to make this as accurate as possible. Enjoy.

Dia's POV

Today has been a great day so far, and I've made it through seven periods already. It's the passing period before my last class, and I'm standing in the hallway with Jack, Crutchie, and Phillip. Jack and Crutchie are holding hands, being a cute couple like always. Jack leans down and kisses Crutchie on the cheek. That's when everything starts to go downhill.

"HEY, you four! My office!"

Pulitzer is yelling at us down the hallway. I have no idea why we're being called to the office. We follow the principal to his office, very confused. On my way in, I make eye contact with Ms. Washington, who gives me an encouraging smile. Once the four of us get inside the office, Pulitzer sits behind the desk and looks at us with an annoyed expression.

"Are you four aware of why you are here?"

Phillip responds, which may not have been the best idea.

"No sir, seeing as you just yelled at us to come in here without any explanation."

"Watch your tone, young man."

He sighed, seeming exasperated at this whole situation.
"I've called you in here because I'm afraid I will have to punish all four of you. Mr. Hamilton, Miss de la Vega, you were both skipping class. And Mr. Kelly and Mr. Morris, you were showing a grossly inappropriate public display of affection. For skipping class, a week of in school suspension. For PDA, a month."

"WHAT!"

That was Phillip. Again.

"Do you have a problem, Mr. Hamilton?"

"YES, I have a problem. You're punishing us completely unfairly. The bell hasn't even rung yet, therefore we were not skipping class. And just down the hallway, Shane Oman was making out with a girl in plain sight for the THIRD TIME THIS WEEK! You didn't say anything to them!"

Pulitzer seemed angry now, regarding Phillip with an icy glare.

"Yes, well, your...people have a certain disregard for rules, so I have valid reason to be concerned. And as for Mr. Morris and Mr. Kelly, it's different because of their...preferences. That's not something that is acceptable in public."

Now I have to step in, because while we need to stand up for ourselves, Phillip and Jack look like they're going to explode and Crutchie looks like he's going to cry.

"So it's acceptable for a white guy to sit in the boys bathroom doing drugs, but we can't talk to our friends during the passing period? It's acceptable for a straight guy to basically have his hands up a girls shirt, but Jack and Crutchie can't hold hands or be affectionate? Because that is blatant racism and homophobia."

Pulitzer seems taken aback. But he presses on.

"The bottom line is, gays being affectionate in public is different than other people being affectionate."

Then Phillip does something I didn't see coming.

"So couples loving each other is now restricted to certain types of people? What would your reaction be if it was two Latinx people?"

Suddenly out of nowhere, Phillip's lips are against mine. It's not very long, and I can tell he's angry. I'm not even sure he's thinking straight. I don't know if I'M thinking straight. All I know is that Phillip Hamilton is kissing me. PHILLIP HAMILTON IS KISSING ME. He pulls away after a moment, red-faced. Jack is gaping and Crutchie looks shocked, though I can tell that he's smiling. Pulitzer looks furious.

"All four of you are SUSPENDED! A week's suspension for blatant disrespect of authority! I will be contacting your parents to come pick up the four of you. We will meet to discuss the status of your scholarship at another time, Miss de la Vega. You will wait in the lobby until they arrive. Now GET OUT OF MY OFFICE!"

We all shuffle out of the office, shocked. I sit down in one of the waiting chairs. I think I'm crying, but I just feel numb. First, the boy I like kisses me, and all I could feel was happiness. Then I'm suspended from school with the chance of losing my scholarship, and all those happy feelings go down the drain. Now I can't feel anything. Phillip sits down next to me, looking just as shocked as I probably do.

"I'm really sorry, Dia, I was angry and I wasn't thinking, and-"

"It's ok, Phillip. I didn't mind."

Of course I didn't mind. I wanted him to do it again. But now is not the time and place for that. I sit for a few minutes when I see Uncle Benny enter the lobby. I grab my stuff, give the boys a tight smile and a promise to text them later, and head over to Uncle Benny. He waits till we're in his car, then turns to me.

"Dia, are you alright? What happened? I can't imagine you doing anything to get suspended. Did someone blame you for something?"

That's when I break down crying.

I don't like hurting my characters. And yet I do it anyway. Don't forget to keep on smiling and keep on surviving folks.
Peace Out ✌️
Author

825 words